In theory, the Australian economy is
ticking over nicely, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recording
yet another quarter of stronger than expected GDP results. According to a
growing number of commentators, however, the traditional way to measure
economic prosperity has become worthless as a measure of personal wealth and
well-being. Despite solid GDP figures, Australians are still struggling with
low wages growth, low personal savings, high energy bills, and high levels of
personal debt.

Bank loans for home renovations have
dropped over the last few months to their lowest level in 17 years. Having
risen consistently since the start of 2016, lending for alternations and
additions continue to plummet as Aussies become less confident about investing
in their own homes. Despite falling house prices and a drop in lending activity
for both investors and renovations, the average home loan size has increased
7.5 percent since last July to $408,600.

Not all household are the same, with vast
differences between household size and composition around the world. According
to the latest 'Database of Household Size and Composition' report from the
United Nations, the average household size ranges from less than three people
to more than six depending on where you live. While rising living standards
across the world have led to a decrease in household size over the last few
years, an ageing global population is creating additional household stress in
some countries.

There is a rising anxiety epidemic sweeping
across the world, with this silent mental health disorder affecting people of
all ages, genders and races. According to one recent poll, adults in the United
States are increasingly anxious about the world around them. The situation in
Australia and New Zealand is not much better, with children as young as four
diagnosed with anxiety and women particularly at risk. While rising levels of
anxiety are a worry for us all, if harnessed properly, some people think
anxiety could also be a power for good.

A space elevator has long been proposed as
an affordable way to transport people and goods beyond Earth's atmosphere.
While most of the work in this field has been in the realms of theory or
science fiction, Japanese scientists have taken the first small steps into
making this vision a reality. Researchers have just launched two tiny
satellites to the International Space Station in an effort to test any changes
in movement and orientation that could possibly affect future elevator
transport.